Left it too late
by Litto-Sparkle
Summary: There's a fire in Seattle Grace Hospital..what happens if Derek doesn't get to tell Meredith how he really feels? Please read and review!
1. I love you

Meredith yawned. She was so tired, she wanted to collapse tight on the spot were she was standing. She had been working a 48 hour shift and it was finally over. She sighed loudly and stuck her patients chart under her arm.

"Are you okay?" asked a concerned voice.

Meredith nodded and never bothered turning around she didn't want to see the man of her dreams standing behind her. She didn't need his concern because he had a wife and forgot to tell her. They had been practically living together but it still seemed to slip his mind to tell her about Addison. She was still raging and every time she saw either one of them she wanted to cry.

"Meredith…"

"Please Derek…Don't" whispered Meredith.

She didn't have the energy to argue. She just wanted to go to sleep and forget about Derek and Addison forever.

"I just want to make sure you're okay."

Derek leaned across and touched Meredith's arm gently. Meredith felt his arm on hers and she flinched. She didn't know whether to pull away or let him comfort her.

"No Derek, I'm not okay. You have a wife that you forgot to mention and even though I have Finn, he's…he's not you."

Tears were threatening to fall from Meredith's eyes. Derek tried to clear the lump in his throat by coughing which failed miserably. He couldn't breakdown in front of her. He looked at Meredith. She was so beautiful with her big eyes and long brown hair. She looked exhausted and her eyes swollen because of all the crying. Meredith could feel him staring at her. She knew she looked a mess, she hadn't slept in days and she had given up trying to dry her eyes. Forgetting about Addison or the fact that Meredith was still angry with him Derek wrapped his arms around her. Meredith couldn't fight any longer all she wanted was to be in Derek's arms and have him whispering comforting words in her ear. She relaxed in his arms, leaning her head against his chest. Derek smiled; he knew he had made the right choice to comfort her. Meredith knew that Derek had to go back to Addison and that she had to go back to Finn but for the moment she stayed snuggled in his arms. Derek felt Meredith's breathing calm down and he kissed her forehead. He hated her being upset, worse if it was him who made her cry. He wanted to stay here comforting her forever. She gazed up at him and couldn't stop herself from saying what she really felt,

"I love you Derek."

Before Derek could reply Meredith had turned and ran down the corridor of the hospital. Derek stood stunned. He had just been told the most important thing in his life. She loved him…she loved him. That's all Derek could think about as he walked down the corridor towards the chief's office. His thoughts were interrupted suddenly by a scream from the chief.

"What do you mean there's a fire in the surgical unit!"


	2. We don't have

Meredith ran down the corridor. She had to escape; she couldn't let Derek see her upset. She was heading towards the bedrooms were the staff slept during their 48 hour long shifts. She just wanted to hide and forget about everything for a while. She burst into the room and flung herself against the door. She could feel her heart bursting in her chest and tears were streaming down her face. She couldn't understand why she felt like this. She was stronger than this; she didn't need Derek to make her happy. Meredith had tried telling herself this from the day Addison had turned up. But nothing could stop her loving Derek and seeing him with Addison was breaking her heart. She collapsed on the nearest bed, exhausted and upset. She didn't want to think about Derek or Addison anymore, she just wanted to sleep. Her eyes shut the minute her head touched the pillow and for the first time in weeks Meredith slept peacefully unaware of the chaos outside.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Dr Richard Webber, the Chief of Surgery, was pacing the corridor of Seattle Grace Hospital. He had just received news from an intern, Alex Karev, that there was a fire in his unit. He had given orders for the place to be evacuated and now he was pacing the corridors waiting for everyone to get out. He had no idea how big or serious the fire was or how it started. All he knew was that it was in an OR room and he had to get everyone out. He knew that there were lots of machines and things in the hospital that could blow up but he tried to convince himself that wouldn't happen. The surgical unit was chaotic with everyone dashing about trying to find the nearest exit. The patients had been evacuated already and they were now on their way to another hospital and the emergency services had been called. Richard searched the room for Bailey.

"Dr. Bailey, do you have all of your interns?" he asked frantically.

"Yes Sir, Everything is okay! Do you need my help with anything?" answered Dr Bailey.

"No, just make sure you get out safely!"

She was trying to remain calm but her voice was a little higher than usual and she was quickly looking at her interns to check if she had them all. She nodded at Richard and guided her group of interns outside.

Suddenly there was a large explosion from down the corridor. Richard was thrown back and he hit the ground with a loud crash. He felt a sudden pain in his head and his vision was blurred. He could hear screaming and voices from all around the room. The staff that had been leaving or had stayed to help others had all been thrown to the ground. Some of them were quite badly injured but everyone seemed to be conscious. The surgical unit had been destroyed; there were bits of roof, bricks and lots of other things flying around. The whole place was now up in flames and Richard knew he had to get everyone out. He got up fast at first but had to slow down because he was dizzy and his head was throbbing. He shouted at the rest of his staff to get out so they could get help. He pushed his way through the collapsed roof next to him and managed to make it to the exit. He ran outside to the car park where the rest of the staff stood looking horrified. He felt the dizziness return and he threw up. He felt a comforting hand on his back and turned to see Dr. Bailey. She looked terrified but still managed to soothe him as he was sick. He straightened up and tried to calm himself down, he was the Chief he had to be strong for everyone else.

The emergency services had turned up by now and they were getting to work quickly. All Richard could do was gaze at his burning hospital, he felt helpless. Dr. Bailey stood by Richards's side the whole time.

"Dr. Bailey…Dr Bailey!" said a worried George O'Malley.

"Not now O'Malley!" snapped Dr. Bailey.

"But Dr Bailey…"

Dr. Bailey spun round; she wanted to scream at this stupid intern right now. Didn't he realise there was a fire and an explosion in there hospital!

"What O'Malley…What is so important that you have to tell me?" she screamed.

"We don't…we don't…we don't have Meredith Grey!"


	3. The Warning

_Thank you so much for the reviews! They mean a lot to me so please continue to review! Thanks! Xx_

Before the explosion…

Meredith awoke shaking violently. She wasn't cold but for some reason she couldn't stop shaking. She tried to think about what she had been dreaming about. It was a blurry memory but she could remember dreaming that something had happened to her and Derek was crying. She tried to remember what had happened but her mind was blank. Whatever it was it had scared her.

"Come on Meredith, it was only a bad nightmare!" she told herself.

She slowly sat up and winced at the pain in her head, it was thumping. She knew that her headache was because she had hardly slept in days. She got out of bed and stared around the room. For some reason she couldn't get this dream out of her head. She saw herself lying on the ground and Derek telling her that he loved her while he held her hand. This image kept re-appearing in Meredith's head even though she was trying so hard to ignore it. She knew that this was just a dream, Derek didn't love her, he choose Addison. She sighed and reached across for her patients chart. She opened the folder and read the patients details. She ripped out a blank page in the folder and got her pen. She was writing a letter, saying everything she thought about this person and how she felt now. She didn't know why she was writing this but something inside her told her she had to. She had a feeling of dread inside, a feeling she couldn't explain. She finished writing and gazed at her letter. It was a goodbye letter, she didn't know why she was saying goodbye, and nothing made sense to her. She finished reading, she was proud of what she had wrote; everything in this letter was the truth. And then she heard an explosion, it was then that Meredith knew this dream hadn't been just a dream. It was a warning…

Meredith's last thought was

"Hold on to the letter! Derek has to read it, he has to know."


	4. She's in there

Derek was gazing at the burning hospital in shock. He was speechless, had the hospital just burst into flames? Was he standing watching his work place getting destroyed? Had he managed to escape this tragedy? Derek knew the answers to all of these questions but they kept going over and over in his head. He was finding all of this hard to believe even though he was standing witnessing the fire. He had managed to escape through the side exit of the hospital. He had been rooted to the spot every since. He hadn't moved, just stared. He began to feel pain in his head and he raised his hand to see if he had hurt himself. Blood had begun to fall from his wound and he could feel it was quite a deep cut he had. He remembered when the hospital exploded; he had been thrown back against a patient's bed. This was when he cut his head, off the side, but he was lucky, he was alive. Derek began to come back to reality and he realised that he didn't know if everyone else was okay. He turned to start walking to find the others when he heard a cry,

"Derek! Derek…You're okay! Oh, thank God!"

Addison fell into Derek's arms and tears were threatening to fall from her eyes. Addison hadn't been hurt, she had been lucky as well. She escaped before the hospital before it had exploded. She now couldn't stop the tears from falling from her eyes. She gazed up at Derek and felt sick when she saw his head. She instantly turned into protective and worry mode. She tried wiping the blood away, which didn't help at all, and then she put her hand over the wound hoping it would stop the blood. This didn't help either but she had to feel like she was helping. Derek stopped her fussing over him and held her in his arms again. She was in shock causing her whole body to shiver and shake. Derek kissed her forehead and cuddled her closer, trying to comfort her. He silently thanked God that she was okay and closed his eyes praying that everyone else had been lucky as well. Derek and Addison had both exited the building from the side door so they were at the top of the car park. Derek could see his colleagues at the bottom of the car park, doing the exact same thing as him, just staring in shock and terror. He decided that he had to go stand with them, they needed each others support and comfort right now. He put his arm around Addison's waist and guided her towards the group of doctors at the end of the car park. The fire brigade had arrived and were quickly and efficiently getting to work putting out the fire. This made Derek feel quiet safe as he walked towards the others. He hated feeling as helpless as he did now. Derek first saw Richard, who looked like he had just been told the world was ending. He was standing next to Bailey who seemed as bad as Richard though she had a different look of terror on her face. Derek had never seen Bailey looked so scared. Hell, she wasn't scared, she was terrified thought Derek. She had gone a pale colour and her eyes could not get any wider. Derek knew this was a serious incident but he thought Bailey would have been stronger than this and she would have been the one to keep everyone else calm. This woman in front of Derek wasn't the strong, calm Bailey he knew. What had made her so terrified? Derek never had time to think about this long because his thoughts were interrupted by Addison's quick breath intake.

"Meredith" she gasped.

Derek stared at Addison unable to understand what she meant. Surely, Meredith was with the other interns. He shot a look over at the small group of interns and he felt his world crashing down round about him. There was no sign of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen… that only meant one thing. She was in there. Derek legs couldn't hold his weight any longer. His vision began to blur, he was shaking, falling. He collapsed.


	5. It was up to them

_Hey! I'm sorry about the lack of update! I want to say thanks to the people who have continually read my story and given me reviews. They mean lots to me. They make me happy lol! I hope you enjoy this chapter and please leave a review to tell me what you think._

Derek could hear his name being called in the distance. The owners of the voices sounded scared and worried. He wanted to open his eyes but they remained glued shut. He wanted to tell the voices he was okay. He felt someone shaking him and his whole body ached. His eyes flew open and he came face to face with Addison. She was pale and looked like she had seen a ghost. He heard sirens and it all came flooding back. Meredith. Addison didn't have time to stop Derek because he was up off the ground running towards the hospital. Addison screamed his name which he ignored. She was terrified, Derek was going insane. She knew he loved Meredith, she had known since the day she got here but he couldn't go in there, she could lose him. It was too dangerous. She remained on the same spot, too scared to move. Luckily Burke was faster than Addison and bolted towards Derek grabbing him by the arm and tugging him back.

"What are you doing? Are you insane? You can't go in there!"

Derek turned to look at Burke, he just stared not answering Burke just staring.

"Derek! Derek…you can't go in there!" Burke tried again.

"It's Meredith" was all Derek could manage.

"She'll be okay…the fire brigade are in there, they'll make sure she's okay."

"No I have to get her. I have to be with her. I have to tell her I love her. What if it was Christina? Would you stand out here fighting with me?"

Burke was thrown back by this question. Yes, Derek was right; if it was Christina he wouldn't be standing fighting with Derek he would be in there right away. He eased his grip of Derek's arm and decided he would go in with him but was interrupted by George.

"Derek lets go!"

"What?" asked a confused Derek.

"I'm coming with you, she's my best friend. Now let's go!"

George had never been so scared in his life than when he realised Meredith wasn't with them outside the hospital. He hadn't spoken to Meredith for weeks because of what happened the night they had sex but none of that mattered any longer. She was in real danger and George was not standing back to watch. He was terrified, he had always been scared of fire. Ever since he was child but he was willing to do this to save Meredith.

"O'Malley you sure?" asked Derek

"Positive!"

Derek and George ran towards the hospital door. They didn't want to waste any more time. They burst in through the doors and were faced with the most terrifying scene they had ever seen. There was thick black smoke everywhere which was making it very difficult to see anything. There were flames everywhere and no matter where they looked they could see parts of the hospital falling apart. The walls were caving in and the ceiling was destroyed. George was coughing a great deal and he could feel the smoke making him dizzy and light headed. Derek could feel his whole body shaking, his head had shooting pains going up and down it from where he was hit earlier and his whole body ached to see Meredith. He put his arm over his mouth and nose and started to move further into the building. If he was going to find Meredith he had to think where she would have been. He had lost sight of George who had moved in a different direction, at least there were two of them it would make it twice as quick to find Meredith. Derek prayed that she was okay, that she had somehow escaped because he couldn't imagine ever taking another breath without her.


	6. Bailey, it wasn't her fault

_Here is the next chapter, it doesn't move the story along any but I felt I had to include the other characters thoughts and feelings as they watch from outside. Please read and review! Thank you soooo much! _

Miranda Bailey had always been good at her job. Ever since her internship, she had been a natural. Everybody admired her work and looked up to her. That is until the day she made the biggest mistake of her life. The day she left her intern in the burning hospital. Bailey had heard of the fire from the Chief and she knew what she had to do. She was responsible for five members of staff. Her interns. All she had to do was make sure she had five people. Didn't sound too difficult. But Bailey failed. She realised she only had four when O'Malley told her outside the building. She should have known that she never had them all. If she had realised in the building she could have went looking for her before it got really dangerous. But she never realised. She had left her intern in there and now she didn't know if she was alive or not. She turned around and was faced with her other three interns. Izzie, Christina and Alex. George had gone in to save Meredith. Bailey had tried to persuade him not to, it was far too dangerous. They could end up losing both Meredith and George. But nothing or nobody was stopping George, he was going in. Now Bailey and her remaining interns were standing facing the hospital watching in amazement as the man they call Bambi goes to try and save their friend's life. Bailey looked at the small group of people. Christina was so pale and looked like she was going to faint at any moment. Alex was standing in shock and admiration for George. He always thought of George as a wimp and was never giving him a break about it. But now here he was watching him go to save Meredith. He told himself that he would never make fun of George ever again. Izzie was a completely different story, she couldn't stop crying. The tears were rolling down her cheeks and they were non-stop. Meredith was in danger and so was George. Her two best friends, her roommates. She didn't know what she'd do without them. They were her family, she couldn't lose them. Bailey walked towards Izzie and pulled her into a hug. She didn't normally show her feelings like this but Izzie needed her right now. They all needed her; they needed Bailey's encouragement and support. They needed someone to tell them everything was going to be okay. Because everything was going to be okay…wasn't it?

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Addison watched as her husband went to save his ex-girlfriend. Even in this situation she felt jealous. She had seen the look on his face when he realised she wasn't here. It was like his world had ended, like there was no point in living. Addison knew he loved her but she still wasn't giving up. She loved Derek and that was all that mattered. She wondered if it was her in there would he be as quick to jump in and save her. Would he collapse and feel like his world was ending. She hated herself for thinking like this because she was safe and alive but Meredith wasn't safe, she was in danger. But she just couldn't stop herself from thinking about Derek and his love for Meredith. She hoped Meredith was okay because she didn't deserve anymore pain in her life. She saw George O'Malley get ready to enter with Derek and she smiled. All though this was a nightmare of a situation she couldn't help but smile because she knew that Meredith and George hadn't been talking. She knew that George had moved out of the house and sworn he would never talk to Meredith again but here he was risking his life for her. That was real friendship, real love. Out of the corner of her eye, Addison saw Christina approaching her. A feeling of dread entered Addison, what did Christina want? Was she coming to start a fight with her? Was she coming to blame her for splitting up Meredith and Derek?

"Dr. Shepherd, do you want to stand with us? We have to stick together for Meredith's sake."

"Erm…Do you think Meredith would want me standing with her best friends?"

"Of course she would…she doesn't hate you. She may blame you a little for her and Derek's break-up but she wouldn't want you to be upset and having to stand alone."

"Okay…if you're sure."

Christina and Addison joined the rest of the interns and Bailey and watched as the rescue Meredith mission began.


	7. The Rescue

_Hello! Sorry for the lack of update I hope you enjoy this chapter. I think this one was quite good but that's only my opinion. Please let me know what you guys think! Thank you x.x.x_

George found her. Found her unconscious in a corner of the building. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move. She was there in front of him; he had to move to help her. But for some reason he was glued to the spot. He was shaking uncontrollably, all his previous feelings for her came flooding back. He loved her after everything that had happened nothing had changed. She loved Derek, he loved her.

"Derek...Derek! I've...I've found her!"

It was barely a whisper though Derek heard it. He heard George say he had found her. She was found, she was going to be okay. Derek found George in the other side of the room from where he had been. The smoke was filling up the room they were in and he couldn't see properly. But he could make out her tiny frame. Derek leaped forward and pulled her into his arms. He protectively put his arm in front of her face and starting leaving. George quickly followed and he silently thanked God that Derek had saved her. If it had been up to him he would have just stood there. It wasn't that he didn't want to save her. It was just to terrifying to think that she was suffering and it was down to him to stop it.

Derek couldn't think properly, he couldn't do anything. He wasn't moving his feet, they were somehow moving themselves. He was in a burning building saving the one person that he lived for. It couldn't be real; it was a horrible nightmare that he wanted to wake up from. He suddenly felt a strong hold on his shoulder and turned to see a fireman behind him. He grabbed Meredith from his arms and gestured to Derek to follow him. Derek let a sigh of relief escape; he was going to get out. He wasn't alone any longer; there were experienced people here to help. Derek was guided outside the building safely which he was surprised at because the fire had become very dangerous now but it seemed to be in the other side of the building. He breathed in fresh air and started coughing. He couldn't breathe; his lungs were not letting in air. He felt someone pull him and the next thing he knew he had an oxygen mask on and was being put on a hospital bed. He was being forced to lie down but he couldn't. He had to get Meredith; he had to make sure she was okay. He had seen her, she didn't look okay. He wasn't leaving her, not again. He pushed himself up and started fidgeting with the oxygen mask. He heard a voice,

"Derek, Lie down and keep the oxygen mask on"

It was Bailey. She was giving him an instruction. He couldn't do as she said. She had to understand.

"Bailey…I have to be with Meredith…I have to tell her…..to tell her"

He couldn't breathe; his lungs were refusing to take in oxygen.

"I know, it's going to be okay. Just put on the oxygen mask."

"Tell her…I love her."

Derek had to put on the oxygen mask. He had given up again. He had failed Meredith; he hoped she knew how much he had tried. He would make sure she knew because he loved her. That's all that mattered.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Meredith was rushed to the nearest hospital. She wasn't breathing on her own and had been unconscious since George and Derek had found her. Christina and Izzie had ridden in the ambulance with Meredith. Christina had tried to be strong for Izzie's sake but the tears rolling down her eyes were unstoppable. She knew that Meredith would be okay, she had to. She was Meredith Grey, fantastic surgeon, brilliant friend and a wee tiny bit of a trouble maker. That was their Meredith, she had to be okay, and she had to open her eyes. Christina leaned forward and gripped Meredith's freezing cold hand. She wanted her to know they were there, she was no longer alone. Christina felt something in Meredith's hand and pulled it out of Meredith's firm grip. It was a letter with the name Derek written in Meredith's perfectly neat handwriting.


	8. The Letter

_Here's the next update…I am really enjoying writing this story! Hope you enjoy the letter…Please read and review thank you! Xxx _

Derek was given the letter when he arrived at the hospital. He didn't know what hospital he was at or what was happening. All he wanted was to see Meredith. She had been brought to the same hospital as him. He had to be with here. Yet here he was stuck lying on a hospital gurney helpless. He had been told they had to check his cut on his head and stitch it up before he was allowed to move. Derek heard a voice coming from outside his hospital room. It was a familiar voice, it sounded like Christina.

"Can I please get in to see Dr. Shepherd? It's important"

Derek heard the door squeak open and he could see Christina walking towards his bed.

"Christina, how is she? Where is she? I've got to be with here"

Derek was getting himself wound up again and Christina placed a hand on his shoulder to make him stay were he was.

"I don't know anything yet Derek; they took her away the minute we got here. They won't let us anywhere near her. As soon as I know anything you'll know"

Derek gave Christina a weak smile.

"This is for you…"

Derek watched as she pulled a small piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to him.

"I'll leave you to read it in peace"

"Thanks" was all Derek could say.

He opened the letter shakily, recognizing the handwriting on the front. In Meredith's neat small handwriting he read…

_Derek,_

_I have a feeling so I am writing this to you. Please believe everything you read because this is the truth which I've wanted to tell you for ages. You are my world and always have been since the night I met you in Joes. The different guys I've been with after you were me trying to replace you. I realised that I can't do this because you are the only one I love. I've loved you since our kiss in the elevator. I wake up in the morning because the thought of seeing you makes me smile. I understand why you chose Addison and I forgive you. It has taken me a while to forgive you but I can't live hating you. Life is too short. For a reason I can't explain yet, I think this is the last time I will talk to you. I want you to have a great life because you deserve it. I always thought we would be together forever but life doesn't always go to plan. I want you and Addison to have children and grow old together. Because I want you to be happy and she will hopefully make you this. I want you to look after the other interns for me. Tell George that I hope he lives happily with Callie and everything I did to hurt him I am sorry for. Tell Christina she will make a great surgeon and I hope her and Burke get married. Tell Izzie that she has to get together with Alex again because they are made for each other. _

_I will watch over you always from heaven Derek. I don't want you to be upset about my death; I want you to be strong for everybody else. I am glad today was my last day because I told you how I really felt in the corridor and you comforted me. Thank you for that. Please don't forget me Derek; I love you always and forever. _

_Meredith xxx_


	9. Nightmares and True Feelings

_Hello! Thanks for all the reviews on the previous chapter; they really encourage me to continue. This chapter focuses on Derek more than Meredith but I hope you still enjoy it! Please read and review! Thank you! _

**There was fire, everywhere. Smoke was blocking his view; his lungs were collapsing because he couldn't breathe in fresh air. He couldn't see her, but he could hear her. He could hear her screaming. And it was the worse sound in the world, he couldn't save her. He was screaming her name but nothing was coming out. He couldn't reach out and save her then everything went black…**

Derek jerked away. He was sweating all over and his breathing was really heavy. He had just had the worst nightmare ever. He stared around at his surroundings. He was in a hospital bed. Nothing was making sense to him. Then it all came flooding back. Fire, Meredith, Danger. It hadn't been a nightmare it was reality. His head had been stitched up and he had been given medication to stop the pain. Unfortunately the medication was making him sleepy and he couldn't help but close his eyes. He wanted more than anything to go and see Meredith but they wouldn't let him near her. No one was allowed to see her the now. This meant she was in a dangerous state; all he had to do was lie here and wait for news. He had never felt so helpless. He was always the one in control and the one to save a persons life and now he was being told to stay here and wait. For once in his life Derek understood how it felt to be an anxious relative of a patient. He would usually call the relatives of patients impatient because they were always demanding answers and would never just sit and wait. But now Derek totally understood why. Because the not knowing if she was going to survive or not was killing him. He sighed and leaned his head back on the pillow in defeat.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Addison had been watching from the window of the hospital room. She watched her husband as he called out for another woman. She knew he was suffering. He would never get over this if Meredith didn't survive. He was having nightmares already. She didn't know what to do; she wanted to go and hold him in her arms and tell him everything was going to be okay. But she stayed glued to the spot. She didn't know if he would want her, he had clearly shown today that he loved Meredith Grey. Addison knew that this was the end of her marriage but yet she still wanted to be with him. She opened the door quietly and gazed at her husband. He didn't look up or move in any way at all. He just lay there, like he wasn't alive.

"Derek..." she whispered

There was no response; she had expected this. She sighed and tried again.

"Derek, I know you're upset, I just want to make sure your okay."

"I'm fine" was the reply.

Addison was quite shocked, he didn't sound like Derek. His voice was dull and had no feeling to it. It was hollow.

"I have news on Meredith."

At this Derek shot up and stared at Addison. He couldn't work out if she was just saying this to get his attention or if she was being genuine.

"She isn't badly injured, she has a few quite bad burns on her legs but she'll be okay…"

"If she ever wakes up…" Derek finished Addison's sentence.

He was right, Meredith was in a coma and all that had to be done now was her to open her eyes. The doctors were monitoring her but they said it was now up to Meredith. If she was going to survive it had to be Meredith to open her eyes. The doctors were remaining hopeful and they had told Addison to give the news to Derek and her doctor would be along to talk to him very soon.

"I don't know what to do…if she…if she…doesn't wake up…" choked Derek.

He knew Addison wasn't the right person to be telling this to but he felt he had to talk to someone.

"Derek, don't think like that, she will be fine. C'mon it's Meredith Grey we're talking about here. She'll pull through, she always does."

"I'm sorry Addison, about everything. I didn't mean to hurt you or Meredith. I thought I was doing the right thing by going back to you but I was just hurting the both of you. Now, I think I've lost Meredith and I never got to tell her how I feel. "

Derek was breaking down right in front of Addison's eyes. She could see that a huge weight had been lifted from him by telling her how he really felt. Without thinking, Addison wrapped her arms around Derek and comforted him. Derek leaned his head against her and began to cry.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Addison exited Derek's room where he had fallen asleep again. The medication he was on was making him so sleepily that Addison told him to rest before he went to see Meredith. As she was walking down the corridor she wiped a tear away that was rolling down her cheek. She was worried about Meredith even though a lot of people thought she would be glad if she didn't pull through. But she wanted her to get better because she didn't hate her, she actually quite liked her. Also for her husband's sake she wished she would get better soon. As she turned the corner towards the visitor's waiting room she bumped into someone. She quickly wiped the tears and looked up to apologise to the stranger. Though it wasn't a stranger….

"Mark…" she gasped.


	10. Miracles Do Happen

_Hello! I'm so sorry for the lack of update, you must all hate me! Well here's my next chapter, I like this one. Please review and tell me what you think. Thank you! _

He was on the other side of the glass window. For some reason he couldn't make himself move. He had been standing there for ages now. Well at least that's how it felt. Derek wanted so badly to be in the room with Meredith, to be sitting at the side of her bed holding her hand. But fear was stopping him from moving. Finn was in the room already, he was sitting at the side of her bed holding her hand. Derek didn't want to interrupt but he felt that it was meant to be him in there. He loved Meredith; he was the one who couldn't live without her. Memories were flashing before Derek's eyes, everything that made him love Meredith. Most of them happy memories, memories he would never forget for the rest of his life. He had to talk to her, even if she couldn't hear him; he had to be with her. He opened the door to Meredith's hospital room and quietly stepped inside. Finn didn't move, he didn't even look up. He looked just as Derek looked and felt, physically and emotionally drained.

"The doctors said there's a chance she might be able to hear you if you speak to her." whispered Finn.

Derek simply nodded. That's all he wanted was to talk to her, tell her what was on his mind. Apologise for all the pain and hurt he had caused her. Finn stood up and excused himself saying he had to get more coffee. Derek was so grateful to Finn at that moment because he looked over at the chair Finn had just been sitting on to see a full cup of coffee already there. Finn understood that Derek needed time alone to be with Meredith. Derek pulled a chair over and sat down next to Meredith. He gently gripped her hand and kissed it softly. He took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Mer, it's me, Derek. I know you can hear me Meredith. All I want is you to listen. I love you more than anything else in this world. God, I love you more than life itself. I am sorry for everything I have done in the past few months. When I picked Addison I was a coward, I picked the easy choice. But I realise now it may have been the easy choice but it was definitely the wrong choice. When you told me earlier today that you loved me I felt like the luckiest man alive. I wanted to jump up and down and scream for joy. Because I thought I had lost you forever. I think this shows just how important our love is and I just want you now to do one more thing for me Mer. I want you to wake up so you can tell me you love me again. C'mon Meredith you're a fighter I know you'll pull through. If that's not enough to convince you to open your eyes, this might be. When you wake up I am going ask you to marry me and we are going to have the most spectacular wedding because you deserve it. In a couple of years time, we'll have little Derek Junior's and Meredith Junior's running around our beautiful country house that we will get built. And we will live happily ever after, with no more pain or suffering. So Meredith please, please open your eyes to make all our dreams come true."

The tears were now streaming from Derek's eyes. That's everything he had wanted to say, it was now up to Meredith. He sat there staring at her, thinking about how lucky he was to have her. She was beautiful. He squeezed her hand just to let her know he was still there. He was about to speak again when he felt her squeezing his hand back. Derek jumped at the shock and squeezed her hand again. He didn't know if he had imagined it, but he was convinced she had squeezed his hand. There was no response this time from Meredith and Derek let out a heavy sigh. He was going crazy, he was now imaging things. He got up from the chair and began to leave the room. It was all getting to much for him. Derek had his back to Meredith as he headed for the door. He missed Meredith's eyelids fluttering open and her terrified look on her face. She didn't have a clue where she was but then she saw a familiar figure.

"Derek…"

_The next chapter will also include Addison and Mark, I haven't forgotten about them. Please review, thanks again! _


	11. New Friendships

_Hey! Okay, I have no idea where this chapter came from just got this idea this morning. Don't know if you guys will like it but oh well! _

_Please Read and Review _

_Thank you_

_Xxx_

_Three weeks later… _

Addison stared at the small blonde girl across the corridor from her. Meredith Grey was back at work even though she had just recovered. The hospital had been reopened again but only the unharmed sections were being used. Addison couldn't understand why Meredith had returned so quickly. She nearly died but here she was acting like nothing happened. Addison's thoughts were interrupted by her husband Derek walking down the corridor. She still called him her husband even though the divorce papers were signed. Derek had come to speak to her after Meredith woke up to confirm the divorce. She hadn't been surprised or shocked, she knew that it was only a matter of time before Derek gave up trying to fix their destroyed marriage. Of course, what she hadn't told Derek was that she had met Mark Sloan again or that she was now staying with Mark. Addison decided she would tell Derek about Mark soon, just not the now because he seemed stressed out a lot recently. She watched as he kissed Meredith on the forehead and whispered something in her ear. A smile appeared on Meredith's face and for a moment she seemed genuinely happy. But Addison could sense something else, a vibe that Meredith wasn't entirely happy or feeling better. Addison decided to follow Meredith down the corridor to maybe get the chance to speak to her. She stopped outside the door of an empty room where Meredith had run into. The lights were off and Addison could tell Meredith was hiding. She quietly pushed the door open a small amount and peered in. She could see Meredith's tiny frame in the corner of the room shaking, her head on her knees. Addison stepped inside while Meredith was still unaware of her presence.

"Meredith, are you okay?"

Meredith's head shot up and stared shocked at Addison. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying and had gone a red colour. She quickly pulled at her sleeve trying to wipe the tear drops off her cheeks. Addison gave Meredith a sympathetic smile and sat down on the floor next to her.

"Maybe it's a bit too soon to be back at work…It was only three weeks ago…"

"No! It's not that" whispered Meredith.

"Look Meredith I know you hate me and everything, I'm Satan and the stupid McMarried woman but you can talk to me."

"Addison I don't hate you."

"Okay well you dislike me, you want to talk?"

"I've been having nightmares about…about the fire and they're getting worse every night. I haven't been sleeping. They always start the same with me and Derek then everything goes black. Sometimes Derek doesn't save me on time and other times Derek dies. I just can't seem to get rid of them."

"Meredith, that's expected, that's you dealing with what happened. And it may seem horrible and everything the now but it'll get better. Have you told Derek?"

"No, I can't tell him…I sound selfish. He risked his life to save me, he could have been killed. And what do I do to thank him…moan about me having nightmares!"

At this the tears began to fall heavily from Meredith's eyes. Addison suddenly felt uncomfortable. In a normal situation she would have put her arms around the upset person, but this was Meredith Grey, the girl who was sleeping with her husband. She decided to forget about the situation between her and the young intern and she pulled Meredith into a hug. Meredith didn't pull back or resist, she just relaxed in Addison's arms and quietly sobbed. Addison didn't know how long they sat there but she never moved until Meredith finally sat up and gave her a weak smile.

"Thanks…for listening to me…."

"It's fine Meredith"

Meredith got up and headed for the door but turning before she left to say,

"Addison I'm sorry for everything."

Addison nodded and Meredith left.

Addison sat for another while in the dark room. She didn't know why she was sitting there; she just needed some time to think. Think about everything that had happened recently and how it had changed everything, some things for the better some for the worse. The whole experience had definitely changed Meredith, before she would have never spoke to Addison and now they were sharing stories and apologising to one another. It was all very strange and Addison knew the fire may have been a terrible disaster but some good things could come out of it.

_Review? _


	12. Im Here For You

_A bit of a short chapter! But quite important to the story! Please Read And Review! Thank You!! _

"Derek, all I'm saying is talk to Meredith, she needs you."

"Addison, I don't need you telling me how to treat my girlfriend!" snapped Derek.

"Well clearly you do because if you knew what she was going through you would be talking to her and reassuring her that everything is going to be okay!"

Derek stopped abruptly.

"What do you mean?"

"Look, this whole fire thing has really hit her hard. She's been having nightmares and hasn't been sleeping properly."

"Why hasn't she told me any of this? I had no idea, I would have helped her."

"She didn't want to worry you. She thinks she's being selfish because you saved her and she's still moaning."

"But that's nonsense, I love her more than anything, I don't want her to be having nightmares and keeping them to herself."

"Exactly, go and talk to her. Ensure her that you love her and want to help her."

"I will."

Derek turned to face Addison; she gave him a weak smile.

"Since when have you two been best friends anyway?" asked a confused Derek.

"Oh! Erm…It's a new development" giggled Addison as she left to go see a patient.

(x) (x) (x) Greys Anatomy (x) (x) (x)

Derek found Meredith in one of the on-call rooms. She was lying in one of the beds, staring at the ceiling. Derek could tell right away that she had something on her mind. He mentally kicked himself for not realising this sooner. He thought she was dealing with everything okay. He sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled her into a hug. She never spoke to him she just stayed there in his arms. Derek heard her sob and he held her closer.

"Meredith, it's okay, everything is going to be okay as long as I'm here."

He felt her breathing slow down and the tears eventually stopped.

"I'm sorry" she whispered.

"Meredith you have nothing to be sorry for! This wasn't your fault. And your nightmares will go away soon. But you have to talk to me so I can help you. I don't want you keeping all this to yourself. "

Meredith nodded. This is what she had wanted, for Derek to try to understand what she was feeling. She needed him more than ever right now. She was more than grateful to him and George for saving her, if it wasn't for them she wouldn't be here. She just needed some time to wrap her head around everything and get used to her new relationship with Derek. Derek lay down on the bed and gestured for Meredith to copy him. Meredith lay down and rested her head on Derek's chest.

"Meredith…Will you marry me?" whispered Derek.

"Of course I will."

Derek kissed the top of her forehead. Everything was going to be okay, he could feel it.

_The Review button is your next step….Thank You! _


	13. The Shepherd Family

**Okay, so I feel like this fic has lasted for ages but that's probably because I take too long to update! Well here's my last chapter, please review and tell me what you think. Thanks to everyone who has read my story! **

_Ten Years Later …._

Meredith Grey Shepherd sat on the porch outside her country house. She was watching her two sons Andrew and Joseph Shepherd play football with her husband Derek. She smiled as Derek completely missed a shot from Andrew which went straight into the goal. Andrew and Joseph began jumping up and down and giving each other high five. Meredith stood up and began cheering along with them. Andrew noticed his mother and ran towards her and fell into her arms in a hug. Meredith smiled,

"Well done you finally bet your father! I told you that practise makes perfect!"

Andrew looked up at her with a smile that spread from ear to ear. Derek joined them on the porch. His sons were now better than him at football and he would never hear the end of it. Meredith moved further towards Derek and kissed him.

"How lucky are we?"

Derek looked at her, quite confused by her question.

"I just couldn't be happier than right now. We have the most beautiful two boys, a lovely house in a nice neighbourhood and we have each other."

"We are very lucky" was Derek's reply.

"If you told me ten years ago that this would be my life I would have laughed at you. I never imagined that things would go to plan."

Derek stayed silent. He knew what she meant. He had really thought that he had lost her in the fire at Seattle Grace. And now here he was enjoying a beautiful afternoon with Meredith and his sons. They were his family, his life, his everything.

"Well now that Andrew can beat you at football, you think he'll get a place in the school team?"

"Of course he will; he's going to be a professional when he's older." smiled Derek.

"What about Joseph? What do you think he will be?"

"Well I think he's following in our footsteps." replied Derek proudly.

Meredith nodded.

"Yeah, I can see him being a surgeon as well."

Meredith snuggled closer to Derek. She loved just sitting with him, being in his company. And even after ten years of marriage she never got bored of it. Every day she loved him more and she never thought that could happen. Thanks to him, she was alive right now and for that she would always be grateful. Derek and Meredith's conversation was interrupted by the phone going. Meredith stood up and went to get the phone. Derek could hear Meredith talking and he guessed that it was Addison or Christina; he knew she would be on there talking forever. So he decided to re-join his sons playing football. They were now running up and down the garden trying to steal the ball off one another. They were always full of energy and never sitting still. Andrew was the oldest and he looked the spitting image of Derek. He was tall for his age and had lots of dark brown hair. Even at the age of eight, he was beginning to become a real heartthrob with the girls in his class at school. Derek would always tease him about the little girls sending him love letters and inviting him to birthday parties. Meredith on the other hand loved the fact that her son was popular and she was always inviting his friends over for dinner. Joseph was a year younger than Andrew and looked completely different. He was small and had blonde curly hair. He looked like Meredith and he also had her big blue eyes. Derek and Meredith both loved Joseph's blonde curls and they both dreaded the day that Joseph would want them cut because they were babyish.

Inside the house Meredith hung up the phone and sat down on the sofa. It had been Addison on the phone. Meredith had another thing to be thankful for, Addison's friendship. Ever since their chat in the hospital about the fire they had been inseparable. Meredith would look back and now and laugh at the fact that she hated Addison at first and now she wouldn't be able to live without her. She had been her bridesmaid along with Christina and Izzie. She was always there for Meredith when she needed her and if it wasn't for the fire at Seattle Grace they would probably still be enemies. Meredith heard Derek call her name so she went to join them outside.

"Is everything okay?" asked Derek.

"Yeah, Addison just wanted to chat."

"Okay. You know Meredith I'm really glad you and Addison could work things out. I know you have been friends for years but I've never really told you how grateful I am that you made an effort to like her."

"Well what's not to like?" joked Meredith.

"Thanks to you Ladies Mark and I are best friends again as well."

Meredith smiled while Derek pulled her in for a hug. Meredith wanted this to last forever; she wanted to stay in this moment. In this moment she was happy and finally all the suffering and pain seemed to pay off. She wasn't angry or upset about anything that had happened in the past and she now she had to concentrate on her family, Derek, Andrew and Joseph.

**Review..please! **


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